dnnger, Bnd without more tlelBy, commenced plained ae meBninl!,', "out of the root nf ,Jesse Bt onoe tho pnssnge of the Jorda.n, e.nd carried shall come forth the Messiah." This r..onceit it out so skilfully Bnd rBpidly, thBI by the would BCBrcely have deserved mention, hB<l morning overy one of his compe.ny wBs sde it not found B plBCe in the margin of tho on the other side. \ Authorized Version. Some few commenta- Ver. 23.-Ahithophel ... hBnged himself. tors regBrd Nahash as B womBn's name, Bnd Thoro is Bn old fBnoy, put down by Thenius think thBt she WBS a wife of Jesse, Bnd o.s one of the curiosities of interprete.tion, mother of Abigsil and Zernie.h, but not of tha.t Ahithophel died of B quinsy; for the DBvid. But NahBsh is so constantly a word might mee.n "we.s stra.ngled or choked." man's name thBt it is eBsier to believe that But the a.et seems mentioned BS a. proof of Nahash wBe the first husbBnd of David's Ahithophel's unerring judgment. lndigne.- mother, Bnd AbigBil and Zerniah his half- tion BI Abse.lom's folly, Bnd BI the slight sisters, not on the father's, but on tho cast upon himself, is not B sufficient reBson mother's side. Joab and hie brothers are for so violent B deed. He must hBve fore- alwBys described as sons of Zeruiah, both seen the certBin ruin of the conspirBCy if to mark their relationship to David, and De.vid was allowed time ; Bnd he knew thBt Bleo becBuse the rank was on her side. upon its failure would follow his own punish- Amasa was probably the Amasai mentioned ment. It is proof e.lso the.I he was e. fierce in I Chron. xii. 18 BB bringing a powerful e.nd ill-tempered me.n, Bnd animBted for reinforcement to David while at Ziklag; some reason or other with BmBlignant hBlred but the ambition of supplanting Joab me.de of DBvid. The pare.llel between Ahithophel him now forget David's long friendship. e.nd the traitor J ude.s must strike every one. Ver. 27.-Shobi. It is evident that the Ver. 24.-Then (Hebrew, and) David CBI!le most powerful chieftains in GileBd were on to Me.himaim. (On Mahanaim, see note on David's side, and supported him with men eh. ii. 8.) It was now a fortified city, with as well as with provisions. Adherents, too, walls and go.tee (eh. xviii. 24), and its would constBntly cross the Jordan, and strength of position, which hBd me.de it gBther round the old king; Bnd thus, when e. safe capital for Ishbosheth, who had Absalom Brrived, he found himself in face of probably Bdded to its defences, me.de it Blso e.n Brmy estimated at abont twenty thousand e. safe retreat for David while gathering his men. Among these chiefs it is interesting forces. As it was only about fifty miles to find Shobi, son of Ne.hash, the Ammonite distant from the fords of the Jordan, David king, and David's friend (eh. x. 2). When had not retreated fe.r; and, meBnwhile, Ha.nun, the elder son, on succeeding to the Absalom was wasting time in gathering "all throne, brought ruin upon himself by his the men of Israel" for the attBCk. During misconduct to David's ambaBSadors, Shobi this interval Absarom was anointed king Bpparently remained faithful to David, and (eh. xix. 10) by the priests, with Bll due received the grant of e. district in Gilead, solemnity. where he settled with his followers. Some, Ver. 25.-Ithra e.n Israelite. In 1 Chron. with less probBbility, suppose that he hBd ii. 17 he is called " J ether the Ishmeelite." withdre.wn to GileBd in the lifetime of his The first name is the same, Ithra being the father, to be out of He.nun's way. Machir emphatic form of J ether; e.nd as it is difficult was the generous man who hBd given the to find a reBson for mentioning so ordinary crippled son of Jone.than a refuge (eh. u. e. fa.et as that his father was an Israelite, we 4); and David's honourable treatment of may conclude tha.t •• Ishmeelite" is the Mephibosheth may have won his patron's correct rending. Bishop Wordsworth, how- heart. Of Barzillai, Bnd his abode, Rogelim. ever, suggests that "Israelite" wa.s in contrast nothing more is known the.n wha.t is said to "Judahite;" but this distinction did not here, e.nd in the very interesting narrative come into use until a.fter the disruption of in eh. xiL 31, eto. David's lasting gratitude the kingdom. The Vatican text of the Sep- to him is shown by his care for his sons (see tuagint has "Jezreelite," which is probably 1 Kings ii. 7). A clan of priests called a conjecture to gel rid of the obvious error themselves "the children of Barzilla.i," and of calling him a.n Isra.elite. Arne.so. was an claimed to be the desoendants of his daughter. illegitimate son, which confirms the reading They could not, however, produce their "Ishmeelite" in I Chron. ii.17,Bs II marriage genealogy, and were therefore degraded between Abigail and 11 foreigner would be from the priestly offioe (Ezra. ii. 61-63). sure to be opposed by o.11 the members of Their claim, nevertheless, is a. proof th,it Jesse's family. Nahash. Jewish interpre- BBrzillai was a little king in Gilead, when ters regard No.hBsh (equivBlent to" serpent") thus B priestly re.ce I.bought their a.lliunce as another name for Jesse, quoting in proof, with him so honourable as to make them "Out of the root of NMash (the serpent) forget thBt they were of the lineuge of shall come forth the basilisk" (Isa.. xiv. 29), Aaron. which in the ChC1ldee Para.phrase is ex.- Ver, 28.-Beds. Theso would be for the 420 THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [on. XVII. 1-29.
women nnd ohildren, e.nd were eoaroely more the great ol.iange in our diet which haa the.n rugs e.nd eme.ll oe.rpets. Buon■ , pota ta.ken place in recent times. Cheese of kine, of metal for <'ooking, while the ee.rthenwe.m The word ocours only here, but the Syriao would be vessels for holding their food. e.nd the Targum both support the rendering Parohed (corn) ... e.nd pa.robed (pnlse); He- of the Authorized Version. The Bedawcon, brew, kaH ... and kali Tho word includes after removing the butter, mn.ke e. kind of e.ll kinds of pe.robed grain. Tbe,Septue.gint oheeee from the remaining milk, It is as and Syriac rightly omit it in the second hard e.s the cheese made from skimmed ple.oo, &B it is probably a mere error of eome milk in Dorsetshire, but wholesome. It e.noient copyist; but for what word it bas must, however, be soaked before eating, or been snbstituted we have no means of e.scer- softened with butter. Generally in the te.ining. East, cow's milk ie regarded as coarse, and Ver. 29.-Sheep. Thie is the only kind camel's milk is used for drinking, while that of fl,,sb food mentioned. The change in the of sheep and goats, e.nd cheese made from meaning of the word "meat," ~hich still in it, holds the next place in general estimation. Amerioe. is need simply for "food," as in It ie curious that "butter" literally mee.ne the Authorized Version, bears witness to "cheese of kine,"